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Washington, DC -The U. S. General Services Administration today recognized the leadership and commitment of Section 508 coordinators and partners within agencies and industry. The event also marked the grand opening of GSA's new Assistive Technology (AT) Showcase.

Praising the contributions of agency partners, Section 508 coordinators, advocacy groups and end users, GSA Administrator Stephen A. Perry said, "You are an invaluable resource for all of us at GSA. Through your questions, expectations and creative thinking, you constantly challenge us to be the best. You are our collaborators. We could not do our job so well without your input and support." In particular, Mr. Perry honored the efforts of Doug Wakefield, an Accessibility Specialist with the U.S. Access Board, with a GSA pin for his work promoting the education and implementation of Section 508.

The Assistive Technology Showcase builds upon GSA's commitment to provide assistance and demonstration capabilities for Federal employees with disabilities. It provides information and self-guided, online demonstrations of software and hardware designed to help eliminate technological barriers for people with vision, mobility, hearing and speech disabilities and musculoskeletal disorders.

Section 508 requires that federal agencies electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities. The Assistive Technology Showcase is operated by the Center for Information Technology in GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy. This organization has been charged with the task of education federal employees and building the infrastructure necessary to support Section 508 implementation. Additional information on Section 508 is available at www.Section508.gov.

GSA is a centralized federal procurement and property management agency created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public. It acquires, on behalf of federal agencies, office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies and services. GSA, comprised of 14,000 associates, provides services and solutions for the office operations of over 1 million federal workers located in 8,300 government-owned and leased buildings in 1,600 U.S. communities.